A new English-language hiking startup called Israel By Foot is expanding to inn-to-inn and group treks throughout Israel. The inn-to-inn hikes bring visitors on self-guided tours featuring a series of bed-and-breakfast inns and include a range of support services, while the group treks feature local hike experts in Israeli geography, history and more.
Israel By Foot is offering three inn-to-inn self-guided hikes, all in English: Trans-Galil Trek – a six-day crossing of the upper Galilee from the ancient mystical town of Safed to the Banyas River; Yam-to-Yam (Sea-to-Sea) trek from the Mediterranean to the Sea of Galilee; and the epic 80-mile Golan Trail trek.
Three more inn-to-inn treks will be launched this summer, and will include itineraries in the Negev and Judaean deserts and in the Jerusalem area.
Each hike features nightly stays at a bed-and-breakfast and includes breakfast and lunch; paper maps, a GPS mobile phone app, an initial pre-trek briefing the evening before each trip, as well as 24/7 customer service support.
Erez Speiser, a mechanical engineer and avid hiker who launched the initiative, says “there is no better way to connect with Israel or to strengthen a Diaspora Jew’s bond with the Land of Israel than to experience the land on foot.”
Speiser started Israel By Foot when he noticed a gap in English-language resources such as maps and online guides for tourists wishing to explore the country by walking.
